In multinational Russia, the Tatars are in second place in terms of numbers among other nations (after the Russians). The nationality was included in Russia in the 16th century. However, millennia of life side by side with other nationalities have not changed the cultural image and historical traditions of the Tatars.
A group of Kazan Tatars strongly dominates in the Tatar ethnic group, but who were their ancestors and why did they settle there and densely settled in the Kazan territories? Quite curious are the historical scientific versions of the origin of the nation:
- Turkic roots
- persian roots
- greek roots
- chinese roots
- Tocharian roots
Turkic roots
If we consider that the roots are from the Turks, you can find the name of the nationality in the signature dated 18th century on the memorial to the warrior who led the regiment of Turks, Kul-tegin. This monument was erected during the existence of the Second Turkic Kaganate. Then this empire was located on the lands where modern Mongolia is today, though it had a larger area.
The monument shows tribal unions that took place between the well-known ethnic groups otuz-Tatars and tokuz-Tatars.
The earlier 10-12 centuries are characterized by the fact that the nation and its name "Tatars" became known (thanks to the writers of those times) in countries such as China and Iran.
Another fact in favor of the roots of the Turks: in the 11th century, a researcher named Mahmoud Kashgari in his scientific research called the “Tatarskaya steppe” a territory located from the border of Northern China to East Turkestan. Obviously, for this reason in the 13th century the name "Tatars" was assigned to the Mongols, by that time the Mongols had been defeated by them, and their lands had been seized.
Turkic-Persian roots
According to the anthropologist Alexei Sukharev, voiced by him in the book, the scientific work “Kazan Tatars” from 1902, the ethnonym of the word “Tatars” originates from the word “Tat”. It is translated from the Turkic dialect meaning "mountainous terrain" or "mountains". The second part of the name of the nation is the Persian root “ar”, translated as “person” or “tenant”. By the way, “ar” can be found in the names of such nationalities as:
- Bulgarians
- Khazars
- Magyars.
Persian roots
A 20-century researcher from the USSR Olga Belozerskaya revealed the connection of the Tatars with the Persians, thanks to the words "teper" and "defter". Both of them have the meaning of "colonist." In her opinion, the ethnonym "tiptyar" originates in the 16-17th centuries. These are Bulgars-immigrants who voluntarily came to the Urals and Bashkiria.
Origin from the ancient Persians
Recently, in scientific circles, the hypothesis has spread that the word "tat" is the basis of the nation, this is the ancient name of the ancient Persian nation. The notorious Mahmut Kashgar (11th century) reported in his writings that "tatami refers to those who speak Farsi." At the same time, the Turks were called both the Chinese and the Uighurs. So the “Tatami”, and then the Tatars, could be just strangers or foreigners, which is quite logical.
Greek origin
In Greek, the name of the nation means "the world beyond, " "hell." That is, according to the perception of the ancient Greeks, "tartar" was none other than a resident of the dungeons. By the way, they were so christened even before Batu came with soldiers to Europe. Presumably, merchants showed the Batu Khan the way here, but the Tatars even before him evoked strong association among Europeans with ruthless barbarians. And, having caught the bloody attacks of Batu Khan, European residents began to perceive the Tatars as a hellish nation, deadly and warlike.
It is noteworthy that King Ludwig the Fourth was elevated to the rank of saints for prayers and active calls of the people to pray day and night in order to prevent the attacks of the bloody Batu. Coincidentally, in connection with the death of the Mongol Khan Udegei, the Tatar-Mongols turned back. And the Europeans believed in their innocence and made sure that for them the Tatars were all common and barbaric, coming from the far East.
Despite the fact that the Mongol Empire safely disappeared in the 15th century, historians in Europe for three centuries in a row called the Tatars any non-Russian nationalities in Russia to the border with China.
Another surprising historical fact: the Tatar Strait, located from Sakhalin Island to the mainland, is so named because the Tatars lived on the banks again. Who was so misunderstood? The Orochi and Udege peoples. Thanks to such a rough generalization and confusion of the perception of nationalities, the traveler Jean Francois Laperouz with a light hand named the Tatar Strait, which is still indicated on the map until now.
Chinese roots
The Tatar nation may well be of Chinese origin - by the name of the ancient tribe "ta-ta", which lived in the 5th century. between northeast of Mongolia and Manchuria. Moreover, the name "ta-ta" (aka "Tatan") was given to the tribe by Chinese neighbors. Even today, it is not difficult for the Chinese to clearly pronounce variations of the name of the nation, in view of the well-developed nasal diphthong of the Chinese:
- ta ta
- Yes Yes
- tatan
- Tartarus.
Information has come from history that the tribe was too belligerent, regularly raiding the peaceful Chinese by raids. According to one version, from here the culture of tartars spread due to the turbulent nature of the nationality. And since this is one of the first references, it is most likely that it was from China that the warlike tribes received the name "Tatars" thanks to the literary works of Arabs and Persians.
Later, the Ta-Ta tribe knocked out the even more dangerous and unfriendly Genghis Khan. The famous Russian historian Yevgeny Kychanov in his book “The Life of Temujin” states: “Long before the exaltation of the Mongol warriors, the tribe of Tatars died, giving them their common name.” According to his historical information, even after 20-30 liters. after the massacre fatal for the Tatars, the western auls continually awoke from fearful exclamations of “Danger! Tatars! ”
So the bloody conquerors of the true Tatars gained their harsh name when, as the Tatars themselves, "were already in the land of their ulus."
Genghis Khan did not like when his Mongol subjects were called Tatars. Although in historical annals his army is called “Mongol-Tatar”.
